For persons with insufficient muscle power--for example due to illness--to move themselves over certain distances, load carriers moving along rails provided on the ceilings of rooms in buildings are suitable as transportation means. Patients' seats in particular are suspended by ropes or belts from such load carriers. The rails are run, for example, between a bed and the bathroom/toilet. The load carriers can have a rope winch with a motor-operated drive unit for lifting and lowering the patient seats. The rails can have C-shaped cross-sections.
To transmit the power, bus bars are provided in the rails over which slide carbon brushes fastened to the load carrier and connected to motors, for example for driving the rollers or a rope hoist.